Scripps to remodel Motley, purchase bus with 2019-20 budget

Students study in the Motley Coffeehouse at Scripps College. (Camila Mejia • The Student Life)

Scripps College is embarking on a number of projects with its 2019-20 budget, including remodeling the Motley Coffeehouse, purchasing a bus, renovating several buildings and installing more solar panels.

In summer 2020, the Motley is scheduled to be remodeled to “modernize their food service platform,” Scripps treasurer Dean Calvo and Dean of Faculty Amy Marcus-Newhall said in a joint statement.

The renovations will include rearranging the coffee house’s layout to address queuing and storage issues, as well as replacing furnishings and equipment.

The business affairs office, facilities and student affairs office are working with the Motley student team to discuss these renovations and plan a new design during the 2019-20 academic year.

Additionally, Scripps will purchase a bus, similar to Pomona College’s Sagecoach, which students, student groups and academic departments can rent for activities and trips.

The bus purchase is “closely aligned with the innovative learning, inclusive student success and mission-driven outreach themes of the college’s new strategic plan,” Calvo and Marcus-Newhall said via email.

Former Scripps Associated Students vice president of student affairs Casey Harris SC ’19 said via message that she thinks getting a bus will make it easier for professors to take classes on field trips and for clubs or organizations to plan off-campus excursions.

“I know Scripps students are often frustrated by being so close to LA but not being able to take advantage of all the city has to offer,” Harris said. “Hopefully, a bus will help remedy that issue.”

Scripps will also install solar panels on the roofs of Steele Hall and Lang Studios this summer. The project is anticipated to generate 229.6 kilowatt hours of new power, according to Calvo and Marcus-Newhall — enough to power more than 2,000 laptops per hour.

Solar panels were installed on Routt Hall in 2016 and Garrison Theater in 2017, they said.

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Former SAS sustainability chair Sondra Abruzzo SC ’19, who attended a budget presentation April 23, said she was disappointed to see so few sustainability measures implemented with the money.

“The entire theme of the talk was investing in the future generations of Scripps and making sure they get returns on those investments. I’m glad they are getting solar on Lang/[S]teele, but that’s actually not that much in the grand scheme of things,” Abruzzo said via message.

Tiernan Field House and Mary Kimberly and Wilbur Halls will also be renovated this summer to increase accessibility, based on issues identified by Scripps staff.

In addition to these projects, Scripps President Lara Tieden’s highest priority this year was funding for financial aid and scholarships, Calvo and Marcus-Newhall said. Financial aid funding was increased, according to the presentation.

Scripps’ budget process starts with the Presidential Budget Advisory Committee meeting with the president to establish priorities for the year, according to Calvo and Marcus-Newhall, who are both on PBAC.

After reviewing budget requests from the community and allocating resources, the PBAC recommends a budget model to the Board of Trustees Financial Stewardship Committee, which is eventually approved by the board.